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Prime Minister Dr. Muhammad Shtayyeh said that the greatest challenge facing the Palestinians today is the Israeli threat of annexation, which constitutes the last straw of a systematic process to destroy the possibility of the establishment of a Palestinian state by striking the components of this state that cannot be established without it: Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, and classified lands (c) ) And the valleys.

This came during a video conference organized by the Middle East Institute (MEI) on a range of issues, including the threat of annexation and the impact of the Corona virus in Palestine, yesterday in the presence of dozens of researchers, journalists and political affairs workers.

The Prime Minister said that “The implementation of the threat of annexation of the Jordan Valley not only ends the two-state solution, but also constitutes a threat to the security and stability of the region, and threatens the principle of adherence to international law and decisions.”

Shtayyeh added that “The Palestinian leadership will hold a meeting on Saturday with the participation of Palestinian factions, including Hamas, to consider the response to what will emerge from the formation of the new Israeli government, and the visit of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo regarding the announcement of the annexation.”

Shtayyeh affirmed: “For us, there is no difference between advertising and implementation on the ground, and there will be serious decisions that will take us to a new path in which all agreements with Israel will be canceled.”

In his lecture, the Prime Minister touched on the difficult financial situation of the government due to the Corona pandemic, the suspension of aid, and because of Israel’s tax deductions from the tax funds it collects on behalf of the government because of its control of the borders and crossings, indicating that last year Israel deducted about half a billion shekels instead of the allocations of prisoners and martyrs.

Shtayyeh said: “The economic and social setbacks due to Corona constitute a new challenge for us as it is for all countries of the world, but the Palestinian specificity lies in the lack of a national currency, the inability to borrow from the IMF as we are not members of it, and the lack of cash reserves.”

The Prime Minister continued: “Despite these data, we are working on an economic recovery plan to preserve the interests of the people and treat the economic damage from the pandemic by granting soft loans to the sectors most affected by the pandemic, in which the Monetary Authority contributes 210 million dollars.”

Regarding relief efforts, Shtayyeh clarified that 90,000 families will benefit at the beginning of next week from the contributions raised by the Ezz Waqf Fund and will include the West Bank, including Jerusalem, Gaza and the refugee camps in Syria and Lebanon.

He pointed out that the early measures taken by the government under the President’s directives were reflected in the health situation in Palestine, as no serious indicators were recorded of the number of injuries and deaths.